Oil burner



Aug. 28, 1962 G. PEOPLES ETAL 3,051,228

OIL BURNER Filed Feb. 9, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 kgVENZ/RS y ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 28, 1962 G. PEOPLES ETAL 3,051,228

OIL BURNER Filed Feb. 9, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \fl/VVENTORS ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent P 1 3,051,228 OIL BURNER Graydon Peoples and Don H. Vreeland, Marshalltown,

Iowa, assignors to Lennox Industries, Inc, Marshalltown, Iowa, a corporation of llowa Filed Feb. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 7,659 1 Claim. (Cl. 158-76) This invention relates to an oil burner of particularly compact design whereby a relatively small sized burner is provided capable of burning rates usually experienced with burner units having much larger over-all dimensions.

One object of the invention is to provide a small size but more rapidly rotated blower wheel and likewise a motor of relatively high r.p.m. directly connected thereto for reducing scroll dimensions which are one of the bulky components of the usual type of oil burner, thus reducing also the weight of the oil burner and accomplishing an over-all reduction in burner size that allows for more compact design of furnaces, especially those with burner vestibules.

Another object is to provide a burner that has small light-weight moving parts which contribute to extremely quiet mechanical operation and provide the weight of moving components of the burner small in ratio to the total burner weight on its mountings, as well as to burning rate.

Still another object is to provide a burner and scroll housing having a scroll and combustion air passageway of unique and compact design that permits a geometric arrangement of blower and fuel pump motor, blower, fuel pump and ignition transformer, requiring a minimum of waste space between the elements thereby further contributing to compactness of design.

A further object is to provide the fuel pump directly and rigidly mounted on the scroll housing in a position closely thereadjacent, and to provide a short shaft for the pump operatively connected to the motor shaft by a short V-belt, the belted arrangement allowing a compact placement of the pump as compared to the usual mounting of the pump in axial alignment with the motor and blower, the belted arrangement also contributing to quietness of operation.

Still a further object is to provide a cap type of air control which is screw-adjusted and eliminates the need for large bell-type damper control air inlets to the blower, thereby further contributing to the compact over-all design of the burner.

An additional object is to provide the ignition transformer normally covering an access opening to the interior of the burner housing and capable of being opened on a hinged connection to permit of such access, there being contact springs on the spark electrodes of the burner for the high tension terminals of the transformer to contact in the closed position thereof, the arrangement providing for quick and easy access to the burner gun assembly and other major components by loosening one captive screw, and the gun assembly being removable thereupon without disconnecting high tension lead wires as required of conventional burners.

Another additional object is to provide a motor cover retained by the transformer in closed position.

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of our oil burner, whereby the objects above contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in our claims and illustrated in detail on the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of our oil burner;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation thereof with a portion of the draft tube broken away and some burner components therein shown in section to illustrate details, a portion 3,051,228 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 of the ignition transformer also being broken away to show details of the fuel pump mounting with respect to the burner and scroll housing;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of our burner with some parts broken away and other parts shown in section, and with the ignition transformer swung to the open position for access purposes;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view on the line 44 of FIG. 3 showing mounting means for the fuedl pump with respect to the burner and scroll housing; an

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fuel pump and its mounting together with the adjacent portions of the burner housing.

On the accompanying drawings we have used the reference numeral 19 to indicate a draft tube which is secured to a burner and scroll housing indicated generally at H. The manner of securement comprises cap screws 12 and washers 14, the cap screws being threaded into the housing H and opposite sides of the washers clamping against projection 16 from the housing and projections 18 from the draft tube 10.

The housing H has a tubular boss 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) within the outer end of the tube 10 to properly align it and provide a draft air discharge opening. Communicating with the tubular boss 29 is a chamber 22 within the housing H and the housing includes a scroll portion 26 'having a curved wall 24 leading therefrom to the chamber 22. The scroll portion 26 is covered by a scroll cover 28 secured thereto as by a pair of screws 27. Thus, draft generated within the scroll 26--28 is discharged downwardly and deflected sidewise by the curved wall 24 into the chamber 22 where it is further deflected and a vortex effect imparted to it by a barrier 29 shown in FIG. 3. The draft air then travels forwardly from the chamber 22 through the draft tube 10 and is discharged through an inner deflector 30 from the nose cone 32 of the draft tube together with fuel oil sprayed under pressure from the fuel nozzle 34 within the deflector 30.

A blower wheel 36 is provided within the scroll housing 2628 and is mounted directly on a motor shaft 40 of an electric motor 38. An air inlet 42 of tubular form on the housing H (see FIG. 3) leads to the blower wheel 36 and an air control cover 44 is mounted thereover by means of a bolt 46 and lock nut 48 securing the bolt to the cover, the bolt being threaded through a boss 50 for adjustment of the cover 44. The boss 50 is carried by spokes 52. Within the cover 44 sound deadening material 54 is provided to minimize the noise of air flow and blower wheel rotation.

A fuel oil pump P is provided having an inlet fitting 56 to receive oil from an oil reservoir, and an outlet fitting 58. A fuel line 60 is connected to the outlet fitting 58 and terminates in a discharge fitting '62 connected to an oil pipe 64 that leads to the fuel nozzle 34. The pipe 64 is supported by a fitting 63 which in turn is connected to the bottom of the housing H by a screw 65, the housing having a slot 67 receiving the pipe 64 so that the screw 65 can be loosened and the entire assembly of fitting 63, pipe 64, nozzle 34 and deflector 30, as well as ignition assembly can be removed from the chamber 22 for servicing, as will hereinafter appear.

A bracket 68 is provided for supporting the pump P on the housing H. The bracket has .a foot 74 provided with three bosses 76 to contact the rear wall 80 of the housing as shown in FIG. 4, and these are rigidly secured against the wall 80 by screws 78, thereby making the housing H and the bracket 68 substantially integral. The bracket 68 has .a tubular boss 70 to snugly receive a boss 66 of the pump P which is normally retained therein by a set screw 72.

The bracket 68 has, as an integral part thereof, a belt housing 82 open at one side (the left side in FIG. 4) and normally covered by a cover plate 84. A screw 86 extends through the cover plate .and into a threaded boss 88 (see FIG. of the bracket 68.

A pump pulley 90 is mounted on the shaft of the pump P and a motor pulley 92 is mounted on the motor shaft 40 as shown best in FIGS. 4 and 3 respectively. A V-belt 94 drives the pump pulley from the motor pulley. An idler pulley 96 is provided mounted on a lever 98 pivoted at 100 on a pivot stud 100 around which a tension spring 102 is wound for tensioning the lever 98 and thereby the belt 94 through the idler pulley 96.

We provide an ignition transformer 104 mounted on the housing H by means of a hinge 106 so that in the closed position of FIGS. 1 .and 2, it serves as a closure for the burner housing H, but in the 180 opened position of FIG. 3 provides ready access into the housing for servicing operations. The hinge 106 is secured to the housing H by screws 108. The transformer 104 has a ofhigh tension terminals 110 adapted when the transformer is in the closed position to contact a pair of contact springs-112 electrically connected with ignition spark electrodes 116 that pass through suitably supported electrode insulators 114 in the conventional manner. The insulators 114 are mounted on a hub 31 of the deflector 30.

A three-quarter tubular sheet metal cover 118 is provided for the electric motor 38 and one side thereof is secured by a pair of screws 120 to the burner housing H as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereas the other side thereof is provided with a flange 122 that is retained in position by the transformer 104 when it is in the closed position. To retain the transformer normally in the closed position, a captive screw 124 is provided in the upper left corner thereof as shown in FIG. 3 to enter a threaded hole 126 in the wall 80 of the housing H in the closed position of the transformer.

The space within the chamber 22 to the left of the baflle 29 serves to contain an electric wiring terminal block 128 and .a starting switch 132. A capacitor 130 is illustrated for the motor 38 when of the capacitor-start type. Thus the various electrical components of our oil burner are readily accessible when the transformer 104.

is in the opened position shown in FIG. 3.

Our oil burner construction provides a small unitary compact arrangement with rigid connection between the draft tube and the housing H and also for mounting the bracket 68 and pump P rigidly and directly on the housing H. The assemblage disclosed provides ample support for the compact arrangement of burner parts with a minimum of overhang with respect to the draft tube 10 when the burner is mounted by means of the tube and usually termed in furnace installations a tube mounting. Instead of a tube mounting, suitable brackets may be provided and the bottom of the burner housing H bolted thereto, with cushion connectors if a resilient mounting is desired. In either case the overhang of the burner is minimized by the compact arrangement of its components, the motor and the blower above the ignition transformer and the pump, and the air from the blower being first deflected downwardly, then sidewise and then forwardly into the furnace or draft tube. The blower housing and the pump are for all practical purposes an integral unit by reason of the direct connection of the pump to the bracket 68 and the bracket in turn to the burner housing, and the short V-belt connection between the motor shaft and the pump shaft also contributes to compactness of design.

By using a high-speed motor 38 such as one operating at 3450 r.p.m., a relatively small high-speed blower wheel 36 is all that is needed for a considerable volume of air.

Thus, both space and weight are saved in the motor and blower combination. The use of .a cap-type, screwadjusted air control cover 44 also contributes to reduction in over-all size of the burner.

The hinged transformer 104 doubles as a service access door and when in the open position automatically disconnects the high tension terminals of the transformer from the electrodes which permits disassembly of the electrode and nozzle unit rearwardly from the chamber 22 after the fuel line 60 has been removed from the mounting bracket 63 and the outlet fitting 58 of the pump P, by removal of the screw 65 which thereupon permits the mounting bracket 63 to be disconnected from the housing H and removed rearwardly, the oil pipe 64 passing rearwardly through the slot 67 in the bottom wall of the housing, the inner deflector and the electrodes 116 all being mounted on the pipe 64 and accordingly removable therewith through the chamber 22 for servicing any parts thereof. Our component arrangement permits the weight of the burner to be reduced from 70 to 50 lbs. and the weight of moving components is small in ratio to the total burner weight suspended on the tube mounting or mounting brackets as the case may be.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangements of the parts of our oil burner without departing from the real spirit and purpose of our invention, and it is our intention to cover by our claim any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may reasonably be included within their scope.

We claim as our invention:

In an oil burner of the character disclosed, a draft tube, a burner housing connected thereto and providing a chamber communicating with said draft tube, said burner housing having an access opening therein, an ignition transformer hinged to the outer wall of said burner housing to serve as an access cover therefor, said burner housing having a scroll portion, a blower in said scroll portion, a motor on one side of said scroll portion and having a shaft for operating said blower about a common axis transverse to the axis of said blast tube, an air entrance tube projecting from the other side of said scroll portion, a control cover for said air entrance tube comprising a cap-like element having a back wall threadedly mounted along said common axis for adjustment in overlapping relationship to the outer end of said entrance tube to thereby vary the air flow through said entrance tube, a continuously arcuate side wall for said scroll portion extending from between said air entrance tube and said blower to said draft tube with said side wall having an axis of curvature transverse to said common axis, a barrier in said chamber comprising a curved baffle plate having an axis of curvature parallel to the axis of said draft tube for eflfecting in combination with said arcuate side wall the swirl of air tangentially entering said chamber before it flows into said draft tube, a fuel pump having a shaft, a bracket means for mounting said fuel pump beneath said scroll portion and adjacent said arcuate side wall with the axis of said fuel pump shaft parallel to said common axis with said fuel pump being belt driven from said motor, said bracket being rigidly con nected to the back wall of said housing at the side of the access opening covered by said transformer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,056,517 Guthrie Oct. 6, 1936 2,135,252 Grover Nov. 1, 1938 2,301,060 Livar Nov. 3, 1942 2,390,509 Carter Dec. 11, 1945 2,446,744 De Lancy Aug. 10, 1948 2,513,645 Hallinan July 4, 1950 2,897,885 Sherman Aug. 4, 1959 

